Sluffy

Admin

Posts : 15687Join date : 2011-12-29

There is a perception among many people that during the summer months football clubs shut up shop and everybody goes on holiday. In all honesty, nothing could be further from the truth, especially here at Bolton Wanderers and Bolton Whites Hotel.The ground works at our training ground in Lostock and at the stadium have been completed and I must thank the ground staff and all involved for their hard work. It’s important that the players in all our age groups have the best facilities possible at their disposal which will allow them to train and prepare for games. We will always continue to invest in our facilities.

Behind the scenes, our scouting team have been working non-stop in their pursuit to identify possible recruits who will be the right fit for the club.It’s not a simple case of identifying a player, ringing him and his agent and then signing the deal. We do a lot of due diligence on how he can improve the squad, what his character and personality is like and then work out a deal that will be in the best interests for the club.

I’m of the view that we do all our business behind closed doors and then talk about it once it has been fully completed. While I understand that speculation creates a lot of excitement, especially during the summer, I don’t think that rumours are particularly helpful for all concerned.

Both the manager and I agree that the Sky Bet Championship this coming campaign will quite possibly be the toughest one on record. Considering the calibre of the teams that have come down from the Premier League and those who have been promoted from League One, the quality will be certainly dialled up by a few notches. We only need to look at Wolves, Derby and Middlesbrough, to name but three, to see how much money was spent by the bigger clubs last campaign. I fully expect this pattern to continue into next season.

As you will have already read, we had to make some very tough decisions by not offering new deals to some of the players. These weren’t done lightly and we’ve got to ensure that the club progresses each year. As I have mentioned, this coming season will be even tougher than last year so we will be ensuring that our squad is strengthened accordingly. It is our overall plan to reduce the average age of our squad going forward but I want to make it clear that we will also consider recruiting experienced players if they still have the levels of fitness required.I’d like to wish all those who have left us the very best for the future and to thank them for their contributions to the club.We were really pleased that Ben Alnwick signed a new deal to keep him at the club for the next two years. I believe that Ben was one of the best goalkeepers in the division last season and he was our stand out performer. That we have secured his services for another two seasons, despite strong interest from other clubs, shows how much we have come on as a club over the past couple of years.

It is no secret that we are being approached all the time by parties looking to invest in the club and I have always made it clear that if anything does happen in this regard then it will only be done if it’s in the best long-term interests for Bolton Wanderers. We have held and are continuing to have talks with interested parties. Our supporters will be among the first to know should anything happen.I am fortunate to be the custodian of this proud and historic football club and until such time that changes I will continue to work diligently to ensure that we continue to make progress on and off the pitch, but I will continue to be prudent and run the club on a commercial and financially sustainable basis, as we do not wish to encounter the same mistakes of the past and incur the same type of problems that Aston Villa now appear to find themselves in.

Some of our pre-season fixtures have been confirmed so please keep an eye out on the club’s website and social media as we will add to these as and when new fixtures are confirmed. CLICK HERE to view the latest, confirmed pre-season fixtures.

I’m a firm believer that clubs don’t always need to go overseas to get the right preparation. Training camps abroad can provide distractions and don’t always offer the ideal conditions for what clubs can expect over the course of the season. There is also a growing trend among a number of clubs to remain in the British Isles during the summer, although I fully understand the commercial logic of why Premier League clubs go overseas to increase their followings.With that in mind, we’ll be travelling up to Scotland later in the summer for several competitive matches. Details of the fixtures have yet to be finalised and we shall publish them on our digital channels.

The early bird season ticket deadline is fast approaching and sales are going really well, so I’d like to thank all those of you who have renewed and those of you who have bought them. The cash flow benefits to the club at this time of the year are enormous.The deadline to buy them at the best possible price is Saturday 16 June. Please CLICK HERE for more information.The brand new home kit will be released shortly, so please keep an eye on the website for more details of how to buy them. I must say that the new home and away shirts look fantastic and I cannot wait to see the lads wear them in August!Of course, we’ve got three major events taking place at Macron Stadium before a football is kicked and that is why this year we have decided not to have a home friendly fixture.

Concerts return to Bolton in the guise of Little Mix and The Killers, while we are absolutely privileged to be staging both Rugby League Challenge Cup semi-finals on Sunday 5 August in a double header – the first time that this has happened.Events of this magnitude are putting us back on the map as a venue and I am looking forward to attending them all. Hopefully, I will see many of you at them too.

Sluffy

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] wrote:Amateur hour. This wouldn't happen on Bolton Banter.

I'm sure it wouldn't have.

Does this sort of thing happen on Chorley Nuts? I bet it doesn't, does it?

A bit of true trivia about Bolton Banter, its owner and founder (Chris C.) was such a committed Wanderers fan that he closed BB down when he decided he preferred to support FC United instead of us and bought himself a season ticket there!

Takes a stretch of the imagination for a true white to become a ST holder with the hard core Manchester United fans - at least it does for me.

wanderlust

Nat Lofthouse

Posts : 16505Join date : 2012-01-12

Anderson wrote:It is no secret that we are being approached all the time by parties looking to invest in the club and I have always made it clear that if anything does happen in this regard then it will only be done if it’s in the best long-term interests for Bolton Wanderers. We have held and are continuing to have talks with interested parties. Our supporters will be among the first to know should anything happen.

Finally Anderson says something about the negotiations as I had hoped for and Sluffy manages to post it (albeit belatedly) without having a coronary or writing a dissertation on something completely irrelevant to the context.All good, however I wasn't impressed with Anderson's choice of words about the negotiations. Seems like neither the Saudis or the Americans are willing to meet his price - hope I'm wrong but the signs are there.

Sluffy

Anderson wrote:It is no secret that we are being approached all the time by parties looking to invest in the club and I have always made it clear that if anything does happen in this regard then it will only be done if it’s in the best long-term interests for Bolton Wanderers. We have held and are continuing to have talks with interested parties. Our supporters will be among the first to know should anything happen.

Finally Anderson says something about the negotiations as I had hoped for and Sluffy manages to post it (albeit belatedly) without having a coronary or writing a dissertation on something completely irrelevant to the context.All good, however I wasn't impressed with Anderson's choice of words about the negotiations. Seems like neither the Saudis or the Americans are willing to meet his price - hope I'm wrong but the signs are there.

Hahaha!

You're totally screwed up about me aren't you!

Post it up belatedly! It was within two hours of it being issued (and even then Norpig had beaten me to it!).

As for this bullshit you say about me "without having a coronary or writing a dissertation on something completely irrelevant to the context", I never have done!

I must have posted dozens of Mr Anderson's statements on this very thread, nearly always with any comment from me (although I may have highlighted an odd interesting bit to highlight it for others to see more easily)!

karlypants

Sluffy

Admin

Posts : 15687Join date : 2011-12-29

Fortunately an exciting World Cup has satiated our appetites for football over the summer and hopefully England will continue to progress as I believe any success they may have will have a knock-on effect with domestic football up and down the country. Having said that, behind the scenes at Bolton Wanderers Football Club, there has been no let-up in our pursuit of continuing the progress on and off the field.From the moment the fixtures were announced to the confirmation of our pre-season fixtures, the management and recruitment team have been busy strengthening the squad and plotting our strategy for the entire campaign.There was the usual excitement on fixture release day and we are looking forward to taking on last season’s relegated Premier League teams, especially with West Brom first up.It will be a good test for us and I am sure you will all, like me, be pleased with the number of local derbies we have this campaign.The games against Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic and Preston North End, both home and away, will be played with the usual passion. This is the first time for as long as I can remember that all four of us have been in the same division.Our pre-season campaign gets underway on Saturday with a game against newly-promoted St Mirren who ply their trade in Scotland’s top-flight.This game will be an ideal start to our pre-season, especially with the squad spending a week north of the border on a training camp.Due to The Killers and Little Mix concerts and the Rugby League Challenge Cup semi-finals taking place, we have been unable to play a friendly game at Macron Stadium; however, we will be playing La Liga side Girona at the County Ground, Leyland on Saturday 21 July.Ticket details will be announced in due course, but we’d like to express our gratitude to the Lancashire FA for helping us to stage this fixture. I’m sure many of you as possible will attend to see the lads in action.I must once again offer huge praise to our groundstaff and maintenance team who have worked diligently through very tough conditions to ensure that we are able to stage these momentous events as well as having a superb playing surface for the season ahead.Check out the details of all our pre-season fixtures by CLICKING HERE.I am pleased with the way the squad is shaping up at the moment, and I’m delighted to welcome Jason Lowe, Erhun Oztumer and Clayton Donaldson on board.I’m pleased that Sammy Ameobi has returned on a new two-year deal too. There were several clubs interested in his services but his passion for the club and his desire to help us progress ultimately saw him come back.We were also delighted to see Ben Alnwick sign the same length deal after his impressive Player of the Year-winning performances in 2017/18.We are in discussions with several more players and I expect us to make some solid progress in the coming days. The players we have targeted are now starting to return from their family holidays and we are due to speak with some of them towards the end of this week. We are also taking a look at one or two up in Scotland.As always, there is a lot of speculation in the media regarding transfers and some of the rumours have been wide of the mark. We will only comment on a signing once the paperwork has been completed and we will always be the first to let you know once the contract has been signed.Sometimes speculation can be unhelpful as it may drive up interest from elsewhere in the player which could make it more difficult for us to sign him.The season ticket seat renewal deadline day is this Thursday which means that if you haven’t yet renewed your season ticket, you may lose your specified seat.I strongly urge you all to renew your seat or, if you have never had a season ticket, to buy one. Not only is it the most cost effective way of watching Bolton Wanderers throughout the 2018/19 campaign compared to buying tickets on a match by match basis, but you also help the club to recruit new players which will strengthen the squad.Every penny you invest into the club, whether that be in the shape of season tickets or replica kit, really does help to strengthen our ‘war chest’. To quote a famous supermarket slogan, ‘Every Little Helps’!With a month to go until the season starts, I really hope that we can increase our season ticket numbers as well as replica shirt sales.It would be great to see the stadium packed to the rafters for that first Sky Bet Championship game against Bristol City with all our supporters in fine voice wearing their colours. I’m certain that that will help us get off to a great start!To buy your season ticket, please CLICK HERE and to order your home shirt online please visit [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]There have also been some rumours regarding possible investors, which, again, have been very wide of the mark. What I can say is that we are in discussions with four parties who are looking to invest in the club and once we are in a position to make an announcement, we shall do so via the club’s official channels.Likewise, we are very close to finalising naming rights on the stadium and we shall confirm this once everything has been agreed.I am pleased that Jimmy Phillips has remained as Academy Manager, especially after a very successful campaign for the Under-18s and Under-23s last season.As you all know, Jimmy was a product of the Bolton Wanderers youth system, played for the club in two separate spells, coached the first team and is now managing our Academy.I cannot think of a better, more qualified person for the role and I’m looking forward to even more success over the coming years.Finally, on behalf of everybody connected with Bolton Wanderers Football Club and Bolton Whites Hotel, I would like to place on record our sincere gratitude to all those involved in tackling the Winter Hill moorland fire which has been burning for several days.The Lancashire Fire Service, Greater Manchester Fire Service, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team and many other agencies, some of whom have travelled from all over the country, are working around the clock to keep our community safe.Let’s hope the weather conditions ease up a little for them and they are able to get some respite.Kind regards,Ken

Growler

Tony Kelly

Posts : 750Join date : 2017-11-21

Ken has been here for 2 years and has worked out that he can't make any money out of pre season friendlies, so we're not having one.The new players won't have any experience of playing a home fixture at the Reebok before the first league game, just a lot of experience of playing away matches at shit clubs and that good Spanish team at a neutral ground

wanderlust

Nat Lofthouse

Posts : 16505Join date : 2012-01-12

We do need investors and new players though and I'd love to see some progress on that front.Personally I think PSF's are important, not for the result or even the quality of the teams we play, but simply to test new players out, formulate a team and give them all game time.It's all training really.